Loyalty to the Cause (not the Supplier)

image stevebremner.com

I was speaking to one of our athletes a couple of days ago, he's got a tryout with some big league teams and we wish him the best (S/O to RB!!!). We were talking about a computer program that we integrate into our training and he asked about one that we used in the past. It got me thinking about where our loyalty stands as a company. I foster relationships and try to keep them as genuine as possible, but ultimately our loyalty stands with those companies that will provide the absolute best training for our athletes. We used to use a company who's product works great, never had any real issues with them or their product, but a new company was introduced to us and it blew us away with how much more advanced it is compared to the one we were using!

That's not to say that we despise or think ill of the one we were using, but it's capitalism to its purest sense. An old business partner of mine use to say in a loud booming voice "CAPITALISM!!! You Lose!" as he pointed to a computer screen. The original company (for whatever reason) has kept the same business model, same pricing, same program, etc. without changing more than their sales reps. This new company created a better product, introduced better pricing, and does more for the athlete than the original company. I suppose this post is turning into a competitive advantage type of post, but the point that I was originally trying to make was that our loyalty lies with our athletes. If there is something that will make them perform better on the field, that's where we will gravitate towards. I may like you and your company, but if one of your competitors enters the market and can out perform you, I owe it to my clients to see if it will give them an edge in their sport.